Name: Zuppa di Fagioli e Biete (Bean and Swiss Chard Soup)
Yield: For 4 Persons
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 2 flat anchovy fillets; ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, or a 2- to 3-inch sprig fresh rosemary; ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled; ½ cup dried white kidney beans, soaked and cooked as directed, or 2 cups canned cannellini, drained; Black pepper in a grinder; ½ pound Swiss chard; Salt; ½ cup short, tubular pasta, about ½ inch long or less; ¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano (Parmesan)

Preparation info

For
4
Persons

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Marcella's Italian Kitchen

By Marcella Hazan

Published 1986

About

This is one of those masterful bean soups that are the glory of Central Italian cooking. From the point of view of technique, there are no intricate secrets to its success. The battuto of garlic and olive oil is enhanced by anchovies and rosemary. The remaining ingredients follow in the simple sequence described in the recipe. If you are making the soup in advance, do not put in the pasta to cook until you are ready to reheat the soup, or it will become soft and gluey.